Chapter 43

A mysterious danger close to me lingers. A violent paroxysm of fear swells up inside me, I sense a tinge of something eerily sinister lurking beneath the darkness. A shadow, a movement is caught at the corner of my eye. I move and turn. "Hello..." my voice trembles "…is anyone there?" I am met with the ghastliest silence. I clear my throat and take another step. it is everywhere around me, but it can t be directly perceived, only felt. My chest tightens, I badly want to get out of here. Where am i? everything looks strange. I take another step, and another one, and another one until my steps turn into a full run. I can only hear the sound of my feet and my heartbeat. I turn my head to each sides, no one just me and the inky night blackness. I can t I breathe neither shake the salient bad vibe that hangs through the funereal darkness. A dry fallen branch cracks beneath my feet and I stop immediately. The wind blows my hair into my face and mouth. Something or someone moves before my blurry sight. I turn and turn to each side, still nothing, just me and the implacable stillness, steeped in dark that mocks me in my solitude. I turn to continue my walk in this gloomy world where I have no purpose. My heart stops to what stands before me. I take a cautious step back and he smirks at me. Amused by my fear. "you." I point at him. He laughs and raises a gun to point at me. "why?" I cry. He pulls the trigger and I jump from my sleep. My eyes take some time to adjust to my dark surrounding. A blinding light almost blinds me when Quinn turns his phones flashlight. I immediately turn away. "hush…" he says. I exhale, what a nightmare! I turn to reach for my bottle of water. "Don t move, stay still." It is a command. It agitates me. I am tired of being ordered around and waiting to be told what to do. The entire evening, we have spent him teaching me about survival, like I need it. The last twelve years has not been a walk at the park. I have managed on my own. It is time I do what I want. No sooner do I move than I feel a light tap just above my ankle like someone brushing a twig against my skin. I shut my eyes tight before opening them to look down, in the nightscape I see the shadow of a snake slither off the tent. Quinn directs the flashlight down my leg and there are two red bulbs of blood about an inch apart. Fear paralyses me I don t get to see Quinn swiftly move to my aid, on his hand he hold a pen knife. An excruciating pain washes over my entire body. I can feel death coming to me step by step. Quinn quickly tears a piece of his clothe and makes tourniquet just below my ankle. I feel my ankle going numb but simultaneously beginning to cramp up which intensifies to a dull ache. He lies me down to reduce the blood flow. "this is going to hurt." He warns. He presses the penknife on my ankle, I bite my lip hard when he finally cuts between the two inches. He lightly presses around the wound. He bends and I feel his warm breath on my leg before I feel his mouth cover my skin and he sucks the venom out of it. He spits it out and starts to massage my leg. A thick pool of blood spurts out of the wounds. He lifts me off the ground, I can feel the sweat covering my clothes in anticipation of death. "I have to get you to the hospital." His voice is cold and distant. My leg throbs in pain as it hangs while he is carrying me. "how are you feeling?" he asks. "nauseated and an headache." I answer. "your blood pressure is low. All will be okay, I promise." He lightly kisses my forehead. I try focusing on the moon above as we head back to the resort. "what is your favorite show?" Quinn looks down on me, his face full of hope at the same time worry. "huh!" I can t help but sigh at his odd question. "The big bang, I guess" I answer anyway. My vision is crisp. "tell me about its plot." He says with curious interest. I am surprised by his sudden interest in such trivial thing. I tell him anyway but still wondering at what exact moment it will be my last. Luckily we hadn t gone deep into the wood. He said as long as it is covered by woods it enough to teach me. And man, the throb on my leg is prove enough he wasn t wrong. The resort isn t reliable enough leave alone own a first aid kit. Although the receptionist is quick to direct us to a nearby dispensary. I must have passed out from the hot flashes I experienced as Quinn drove because I wake up on a small old room that smell of disinfectants and a bandage around my leg. Quinn is seated beside me; his smile quickly transforms into a frown/. What did I do, I am the victim? The doctor walks in, "how are you feeling?" he asks. "numb." I answer. "you will be okay. You re a strong woman." He turns to Quinn, "what you did is not advisable." He scolds. "it may not be advisable but it saved her life." He counters. "it may never be the case always; no aid is better than bad aid." This doctor sure knows how to irk him up, "Can we go now?" he asks. I find a chopper outside; I immediately recognize his bodyguard. He is the one that saved me when I was abducted. They both gently help me board it. The ride is less an hour to our destination. I immediately recognize we are at Quinn s apartment rooftop. I can feel the resistance from within telling me I shouldn t be here but I am too drain and all I crave is some rest. "make sure this doesn t get out in the media." Quinn instructs the guy as he leaves his apartment. I am laying on the sofa, my leg propped up. "I will prepare a room for you." he says and walks away. Is this not his penthouse? Where does he live with Courtney or she is sleeping? My thought keeps on piling up. After some minutes he returns with a t-shirt and a boxer. "Can you dress yourself?" A part of me thinks can but I still shake my head. He starts to unzip my jacket and I will literally suffer a brain damage, I suck in all the air. As that isn t enough, when it is time to remove my tank top, I freeze, I am not sure I am still alive. His fingers leave a trail of fireworks as he removes it. It could also be effect of the snake biting, I don t know. I am left with my bra and sweat pants. He doesn t spare me a glance as he unhooks the bra and I am free. He clears his throat and looks at anything except me. He lastly unties my pants and carefully removes them. I am now naked with only panties a bandage and all I feel is my body heating up. When he bends again to help with the t-shirt. I pull him towards my lips in a shocking manner. He pulls away quickly and I feel the little dignity left on me quickly vanishing. He is angry now, without a single word or explanation he lifts me up and walk towards the room I occupied when I lived here. "Aren t you going to sleep with me?" I hate the question the moment I realize how desperate it sounds. He has already rejected me; I should show some respect. "No." he is short and precise. He gives me an indifference stare before locking the door behind him. I check my phone and realize it is already four in the morning, I have dinner with Andre s family which I am supposed to be there at around three. I don t know how I will pull it off but I will make sure everything comes to an end so does this revenge journey I started.